Goodguys Southwest Nationals - Great Scottsdale! - Expanded For Web

You've probably seen Scottsdale's Westworld on TV even if you've never attended the Goodguys Southwest Nationals there, as it's the venue for the Barrett-Jackson auctions that push the price of collector cars so ludicrously high. It's a great venue for a Goodguys Nats, though, because it's primarily an equine venue, which means there's plenty of grass to park on, in addition to asphalt, while the mountains that surround Scottsdale and neighboring Phoenix make for a picturesque backdrop. Add in fantastic weather for November and a great swap meet, and the bowl-like venue is perfect. Vendors have the luxury of setting up shop inside the building that houses the B-J auctions, and out of the still-hot-for-November Arizona sun.

Early arrivals on Thursday could partake in a tour of local shops hosted by Over The Hill Gang Phoenix, ending at RB's Obsolete open house in the afternoon, while Friday night saw the 1st Goodguys barbecue and new location grand opening for Hot Rods by Dean, leaving Saturday night free for participants to sample Scottsdale's restaurants.

2/46First we select Don and Carolyn Smith's '32 sedan for a Top Tin pick, then it gets selected for a Boyd Coddington Pro's Pick and the Judy Murray Memorial Award.

Scottsdale is also close enough for us SoCal journo-types not to have to hop on a plane to attend, and it's surprising just how much swap meet treasure you can cram into a rental car when you have to, though even we drew the line at strapping a bargain '57 Chevy hood to the roof of an almost new car for a six-hour drive!

Being the final show on Goodguys' yearly calendar, Scottsdale also hosted a display of the winners in each of the organization's annual award categories, giving attendees the chance to admire the Custom Rod of the Year and Kustom of the Year, as well as Muscle Car and Truck of the Year, among others. That's if the nearly 2,000 registered cars weren't enough, of course.